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Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the
risk of harm from a deploying airbag.
1.Children 12 years old and under should always ride
buckled up in a rear seat.
Infants in rear facing child restraints shouldNEVERride
in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger front airbag.
An airbag deployment can cause severe injury or death to
infants in that position.
Children that are not big enough to properly wear the
vehicle seat belt (refer to section on Child Restraint)
should be secured in the rear seat, in a child restraint or
belt-positioning booster seat appropriate for the size and
age of the child. Older children who do not use a child
restraint or belt-positioning booster seat should ride
properly buckled up in the rear seat. Never allow chil-
dren to slide the shoulder belt behind them or under their
arm.If a child from 1 to 12 years old must ride in the front
passenger seat because the vehicle is crowded, move the
seat as far back as possible, and use the proper child
restraint. Refer to the section on Child Restraint.
You should read the instructions provided with your
child restraint to make sure that you are using it properly.
2.All occupants should wear their lap and shoulder
belts properly.
3.The driver and front passenger seats should be
moved back as far as practical to allow the front airbags
room to inflate.
4.If your vehicle has left and right window bags, do
not lean against the door, airbags will inflate forcefully
into the space between you and the door.
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WARNING!
•Relying on the airbags alone could lead to more
severe injuries in a collision. The airbags work
with your seat belt to restrain you properly. In
some collisions the airbags won’t deploy at all.
Always wear your seat belts even though you
have airbags.
•Being too close to the steering wheel or instru-
ment panel during front airbag deployment could
cause serious injury. Airbags need room to inflate.
Sit back, comfortably extending your arms to
reach the steering wheel or instrument panel.
•If the vehicle has left and right window bags, they
also need room to inflate. Do not lean against the
door or window. Sit upright in the center of the
seat.
“The Airbag System”consists of the following:
•Occupant Restraint Controller (ORC)
•AIRBAG Readiness Light
•Driver Airbag
•Front Passenger Airbag
•Window Bags above Side Windows—If Equipped
•Front Impact Sensors
•Side Impact Sensors—If Equipped
•Steering Wheel and Column
•Instrument Panel
•Seat Belt Readiness Light
•Front Seat Belt Pretensioners
48 THINGS TO KNOW BEFORE STARTING YOUR VEHICLE
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the airbags inflate to their full size. The airbags fully
inflate in about 50–70 milliseconds. This is about half
of the time it takes to blink your eyes. The airbags then
quickly deflate while helping to restrain the driver and
front passenger.
The driver’s and passenger’s front airbag gas is vented
through the airbag material towards the instrument
panel. In this way the airbags do not interfere with
your control of the vehicle.
•TheSide Impact SRS Window Bagsare designed to
activate only in certain side collisions. When the ORC
and the side impact sensors (with side impact option)
detects a collision requiring the window bags to
inflate, it signals the inflators on the crash side of the
vehicle. A quantity of nontoxic gas is generated to
inflate the window bag. The inflating window bag
pushes the outside edge of the headliner out of the
way and covers the window. The airbag inflates inabout 30 milliseconds (about one quarter of the time it
takes to blink your eyes) with enough force to injure
you if you are not belted and seated properly, or if
items are positioned in the area where the window bag
inflates. This especially applies to children. The win-
dow bag is only about 3
1 2inches (9 cm) thick when it
is inflated.
•When the ORC and the impact sensors detect a
collision requiring theDriver Inflatable Knee Blocker
, it signals the inflator unit. A quantity of nontoxic gas
is generated to inflate the Driver Inflatable Knee
Blocker. The Driver Inflatable Knee Blocker inflates
rearward towards the driver’s knees to help protect
the knees and position you for the best interaction
with the front airbag. The Driver Inflatable Knee
Blocker fully inflates in about 50 milliseconds, this is
only about half of the time it takes you to blink your
eyes. It then quickly deflates while helping to protect
the driver’s knees.
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SAFETY TIPS
Exhaust Gas
WARNING!
Exhaust gases can injure or kill. They contain carbon
monoxide (CO) which is colorless and odorless.
Breathing it can make you unconscious and can
eventually poison you. To avoid breathing (CO)
follow the safety tips below.
Do not run the engine in a closed garage or in confined
areas any longer than needed to move your vehicle in or
out of the area.
If it is necessary to sit in a parked vehicle with the engine
running, adjust your heating or cooling controls to force
outside air into the vehicle. Set the blower at high speed.
WARNING!
If you are required to drive with the deck lid/liftgate
open, make sure that all windows are closed, and the
climate control blower switch is set at high speed.
DO NOT use the recirculation mode.
Safety Checks You Should Make Inside The
Vehicle
Seat Belts
Inspect the belt system periodically, checking for cuts,
frays and loose parts. Damaged parts must be replaced
immediately. Do not disassemble or modify the system.
Front seat belt assemblies must be replaced after a
collision. Rear seat belt assemblies must be replaced after
a collision if they have been damaged (bent retractor, torn
webbing, etc. If there is any question regarding belt or
retractor condition, replace the belt.
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▫Lights-On Reminder...................124
▫Headlight Time Delay..................124
▫Fog Lights—If Equipped...............124
▫Turn Signals.........................125
▫Highbeam/Lowbeam Select Switch.........125
▫Passing Light........................125
Windshield Wipers And Washers...........126
▫Windshield Washers...................126
▫Mist Feature.........................126
▫Windshield Wiper Operation.............127
▫Intermittent Wiper System...............127
▫Rear Window Wiper/Washer.............127
Tilt Steering Column....................129Traction Control Switch—If Equipped.......130
Rear Park Assist System—If Equipped.......131
Adjustable Pedals—If Equipped...........133
Electronic Speed Control..................134
▫To Activate..........................135
▫To Set At A Desired Speed...............135
▫To Deactivate........................136
▫To Resume Speed.....................136
▫To Vary The Speed Setting...............136
▫To Accelerate For Passing...............136
Overhead Console—If Equipped...........137
▫Courtesy/Reading Lights................138
▫Sunglasses Storage....................138
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MIRRORS
Inside Day/Night Mirror
Adjust the mirror to center on the view through the rear
window. A two point pivot system allows for horizontal
and vertical adjustment of the mirror.Annoying headlight glare can be reduced by moving the
small control under the mirror to the night position
(toward rear of vehicle). The mirror should be adjusted
while set in the day position (toward windshield).
Adjusting Rear View Mirror
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Power Remote-Control Mirrors
Use the mirror select switch, located on the driver’s door
trim panel above the power window switches, to adjust
the view obtained in the outside mirrors.Press the rocker switch to the L or R for Left or Right
mirror selection. Use the center off position to guard
against accidentally moving a mirror position.
Select a mirror and press one of the four arrows for the
direction you want the mirror to move.
Power mirror preselected positions can be controlled by
the optional Memory Seat Feature. Refer to“Memory
Seat”in section 3 of this manual.
Heated Remote Control Mirrors
These mirrors are heated to melt frost or ice. This feature
is activated whenever you turn on the Rear Window
Defrost.
Illuminated Vanity Mirrors
An illuminated vanity mirror is on the sun visor. To use
the mirror, rotate the sun visor down and swing the
mirror cover upward. The lights turn on automatically.
Closing the mirror cover turns off the lights.
Power Mirror Switches
78 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE
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Things You Should Know About Your UConnect™
System
Voice Recognition (VR)
•
Always wait for the beep before speaking.
•Speak normally, without pausing, just as you would
speak to a person sitting approximately eight (8) feet
away from you.
•Make sure that no one other than you is speaking
during a voice recognition period.
•Performance is maximized under:
•low-to-medium blower setting,
•low-to-medium vehicle speed,
•low road noise,
•smooth road surface,
•fully closed windows,
•dry weather condition.
•Even though the system is designed for users speaking
in North American English and Spanish accents, the
system may not always work for some.
•When navigating through an automated system, such
as, voice mail, or when sending a page, at the end of
speaking the digit string, make sure to saysend.
•Storing names in phonebook when vehicle is not in
motion is recommended.
96 UNDERSTANDING THE FEATURES OF YOUR VEHICLE